Still



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` Patented Der. e, 1949 STILL Orion Ottis Oaks, Summit, N. I., alli' or, by mesne assignments, to Thermal Liturgia. Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application september so, 1941. semi Nn. '176.390

l This invention relates to stills and particularly to stills for the purification of contaminated water or other liquids. More particularly this invention relates to stills employing a particular class of chemical compounds, the tetra-.aryl ortho silicates as the heat transfer medium.

Heretofore many devices have been known and l 2 claims. '(01. 2oz-111) used for the purification of water including many varieties and types of stills. So far as I am aware these stills have been commercially acceptable but inefficient ascompared to that of the present invention. Further, many of these stills have required special equipment because of steam preseures generated by the heat transfer medium or by the vapor pressure of the heat transfer medium. Because of the unusual heat characteristics of the tetra-aryl ortho silicates stills coming within the purview of my invention can be made of the lightest possible materials and require no special apparatus. The tetra-aryl ortho silicates are described in the Johnston Patent No. 2,335,012 dated November 23, 1943. As there described these compounds boil in the neighborhood of 600 F. and may still be circulated at 60 F. At the lower end of this temperature range the compounds become viscous but do not change volume and over this temperature range no vapor pressures are created and equipment using the tetra-aryl ortho silicates need only be strong enough for circulating purposes. y

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a novel still using a particular class of chemical compounds, the tetra-aryl ortho silicates, as the heat transfer medium.

Another object is to provide such a still which is eicient in operation utilizing a maximum amount of the heat available for distillation purposes.V

Another object is to provide such a still which requires no special apparatus and which may be constructed of the lightest possible materials.

Another object is to provide such a still .in which the water to be purified is preheated by acting as the coolant of a water cooled condenser.

Another object is to provide such a still in which the water to be purified is partially heated by water from a vaporizer- Icontaining impurities drained from a vaporizer.

Other and further objects of the present invention will appear from the following description.

My invention is capable of many mechanical embodiments one of which is shown in the accompanying drawing and is described hereinafter to illustrate my invention. This should in no way be construed as defining or limiting the invention and reference should be had to the appended claims for this purpose.

2 In the drawing a suitable heater I0 is provided for tetra-aryl ortho silicate and may be heated by any suitable means such as'gas, oil, coal. electricity and the like. Heated tetra-aryl ortho silicate is circulated from heater I0 through pipe I I. connection I2, manually adjustable viiow control valve I3 and pipe I4. .Since the system is preterably. though not necessarily. a closed system an expansion tank I5 for the tetra-aryl ortho silicate is provided connected to connection I2 and a suitable normally closed pressure and vacuum responsive relief valve I6 is provided in communication with tank I5. Pipe I4 connects with coil I1 in vaporizer I8. vaporizer I8 may be provided with a safety steam valve I8' of conventional design. Pipe I9 connects coil I 1 with manually adjustable flow control valve 20 which is connected by pipe 2| to coil 22 in water heater 23. Pipe 24 connects coil 22 to manually adjustable flow control valve 25. Valve 25 is connected by pipe 26 to a suitable circulating pump 21 for the tetra-aryl ortho silicate and pump 21 is connected by pipe 28 and manually adjustable flow control valve 23 to the return side 30 of heater I0.

Pump 21 is driven by a suitable motor 3| driving through pulleys 32 and 33 and belt 34.

Water tobe puriiied is taken from collection tank 35 through pipe 36 and manually adjustable flow control valve 31 by pump 38. Pump 38 is driven by motor 3| through pulleys 32 and 39 and belt 40. The discharge side of pump 38 is connected to coupling 4I, manually adjustable ow control valve 42, coupling 43 and intake 44 of heater 23. Heater 23 is connected to vaporizer .I8 by pipe 45. Pipe 46 opens into vaporizer I8 and is connected to manually adjustable flow control valve 41. Valve 41 is connected by pipe 48 to coil 43 mounted in heater 23 and coil 49 is discharged to waste through pipe 50.

Steam is taken from vaporizer I8 by pipe 5I and passes through manually adjustable volume control Valve 52 and pipe 53 to a conventional separator. which removes water from the steam.

Water removed by separator 54 passes through pipe 55 and manually adjustable control valve 56 to pipe 51 and is returned to vaporizer I8.

Steam passes from separator 54 to pipe 58 and into pipe 59 and air-cooled condenser 50 where it is partially condensed and passes into pipe 6I. Steam also passes into pipe 62 and is mixed with the partially condensed steam from pipe 6I in pipe 63. Pipe 63 connects to manually adjustable control valve 84. Valve 84 is in communication with ywater-cooled condenser 85.

Purified water is removed from condenser 85 by pipe 86-and passes through manually adjustable valve 81 to pipe 88 and storage tank 89. Puried water may be taken from tank 69 through pipe 1l and manually adjustable valve 1I.

Water to cool condenser Il is preferably drawn from coupling 4I through pipe 1I. manually adinstable flow control valve 10 and pipe Il to coil 1i mounted in condenser Il. Coil Il is connected by pipe 10, manually adjustable dow control valve il and pipe 'I0 to coupling I3. By using the water to be purided to cool condenser 'Il this water is preheated before passing to heater 20 with obvious economies in heat consumption and increased eiilclency in overall operation of the It is to be understood that the several manually adjustable control valves in the system may be set to provide desired rates of dow in the several parts of the still; to provide the most eilicient rate of circulation for the heated tetraaryl ortho silicate: and to provide the maximum amount of preheating of the water to be purified consistent with proper operation of the watereooled condenser.

To use the embodiment of my invention as described heater I0 is dred and motor 3l and Vpump 21 are energized. VHeated tetra-aryl ortho silicate is then circulated through coils i1 and 22 heating them and the water surrounding them". The temperature of the tetra-aryl ortho silicate delivered to coils II and 22 may be controlled by controlled firing of heater l0 and the most emcient operating temperature may be readily determined for each type of still coming within the scope of my invention.

Motor 3l also drives pump 00 and water is drawn from tank 3l and if valves 13 and 11 are closed may be taken directly to heater 2l where it is initially heated by the tetra-aryl ortho silicate in coils 23. The heated water then passes through pipe l! to vaporizer il where steam is generated and passes through pipe 6I to separator 54. Water is removed from the steam in separator Il and is returned to vaporizer I0 through pipes il, 50 and l1. The dried steam then passes through pipe l0, 59, 02 and 0I to `condensers 0 0 and 0l where it is completely condensed and passed as purified water to storage tank 09. As soon as steam begins to condense in condenser 00 valves 'and 11 should be opened to pass water to coils 1I to completely condense the steam and preheat the water.

Water filled with impurities and heated to high temperatures but not vaporized in vaporizer I0 is taken by pipes 40 and Il to coil I0 to assist in heating the water in heater 20 and is thereafter drained to waste through pipe $0.

It will now be apparent that by the present invention I have provided a novel still using a particular class of chemical compounds, the tetraaryl ortho silicates, as the heat transfer medium: which is edicient in operation using a maximum amount of the heat available for distillation purposes; which requires no special apparatus and may be made of the lightest possible materials; in which the water to be purified is preheated by acting as the coolant of a water-cooled condenser: and in which the water to be purided is partially heated by water containing impurities drainingl to waste from a vaporizer.

Changes to or modifications of the above described illustrative embodiment of my invention may now be suggested to those skilled in the art without departing from my inventive concept and reference should be had to the appended claims to determine the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a still employing an organic silicate as the heat transfer medium and including means for heating the heat transfer medium, a source of duid to be distilled and storage means for the distilled duid, a duid heate a duid vaporizer connected to said heater, means for circulating duid from the source of duid to said heater and to said vaporizer, means for passing the heat transfer medium from said heating means in heat exchange relationship through said vaporizer, then in heat exchange relationship through said duid heater and then to return the heat transfeimedium to said heating mea means for leading heated duid containing impurities from said vaporizer in heat exchange relationship through said duid heater and then to drain. duid vapor condensing means, means for conducting duid vapor from said v aporizer to said condens-4 ing means. a vapor and duid separator in said conducting means, means for returning duid from said separator to said vaporizer, means for connecting said condensing means to the storage means, and means for circulating the duid to be distilled as thecoolant, through said condensingl means and then to said duid' heater.

2. In a still employing an organic silicate as the heat transfer medium and including a heater for the heat transfer medium.' a source of duid to 'be distilled and storage means for the distilled duid, a duid heater, a duid vaporizer connected to said heater, coils in said duid heater and in said vaporizer for the heated heat transfer medium, means for connecting said coils in said vaporizer to the heater for the heat transfer medium, means for connecting' said coils insaid vaporizer and said coils in said duid heater,

meansfor connecting" said coils in said duidheater to the return side of the heater for heal? transfer medium, a second set of coils in said duid heater connected to said duid vaporizer and emptying to drain, means for supplying duid from the source of duid to said duid heater and from said duid heater to said vaporizer, duid' vapor condensing means, means for conducting duid vapor from said vaporizer to said condensingj means, a vapor and liquid separator in said coniducting means, means for connecting said separator to said vaporizer for leading duid from said' separator back to said vaporizer, a coil in said condensing means, means for circulating the duid to be distilled as the coolant through said last named coil and then to said duid heater, and

means for connecting said condensing means to the storage means.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the die of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS onion o'rns oaxs.

Worthen et al. Apr. 9. 1948 

